5) "Nintendo 3DS - Best of a Dying Breed" In 2011, Nintendo Co. launched arguably the most eye-catching handheld gaming device yet, the glasses-free 3DS. That's 3D as in "three-dimensional."

Early reviews and consumer preorders are impressive, which is just what we'd expect from Nintendo. The company has a track record of turning select technologies into well-designed systems, each of which carves out a niche all its own. Last time around, while Sony and Microsoft were trying to outdo each other's high-def video gaming platforms, Nintendo went a different way, with the non-HD, marketplace-redefining, motion-capturing Wii. Yet the challenges Nintendo faces today would give even the Mario brothers pause.

5) "Nintendo 3DS - Best of a Dying Breed" In 2011, Nintendo Co. launched arguably the most eye-catching handheld gaming device yet, the glasses-free 3DS. That's 3D as in "three-dimensional."

Early reviews and consumer preorders are impressive, which is just what we'd expect from Nintendo. The company has a track record of turning select technologies into well-designed systems, each of which carves out a niche all its own. Last time around, while Sony and Microsoft were trying to outdo each other's high-def video gaming platforms, Nintendo went a different way, with the non-HD, marketplace-redefining, motion-capturing Wii. Yet the challenges Nintendo faces today would give even the Mario brothers pause.